Post-modern preaching

Michael Taylor is an ordained Christian minister in the Free Church tradition in England. He was Principal of a theological college in Manchester and taught theology and ethics in the University there for 15 years until 1985 before becoming Director of Christian Aid, the ecumenical aid and development charity of most of the British churches.

Having, like John White and on many occasions with him, been involved in ordination training, or as Baptists would call it `ministerial training`, and having been a preacher of sorts for much of my working life, the issue is not merely an academic one. For reasons apart from longevity I am wondering whether I should stop!

Preaching is part of ordained ministry in almost all of the Christian churches but in some it plays a larger part than others. That is literally true when it comes to timing: ten minutes as a rule for Anglicans; twenty to twenty-five for Baptists if congregations are not to feel short-changed! The difference is also one of balance: between Word and Sacrament, to such an extent that the leader of worship in a Baptist church is much more likely to be referred to simply as the `preacher` rather than the `president`. And there is certainly a disparity in my experience in the time and energy, not to mention emotional energy, invested in the preparation of sermons, a disparity which appears to have little direct bearing on the quality of the outcome either in terms of its subject matter or the depth of spirituality of its recipients.

In my own training for ministry, which was similar to that of most Free Church ordinands in the 1950`s, preaching loomed large. We read books which helped us to clarify what it was. We listened to what were regarded as the great preachers of the day, appearing at huge rallies, for example in Manchester`s Free Trade Hall. We wrote out several sermons a term for careful assessment of their style and content. We were sent out to practice our arts on small, unsuspecting congregations, whilst every week came the dreaded `Sermon Class` at which we took turns to lead worship and preach to the college community and have our efforts taken apart, not always gently, at a subsequent post-mortem. Above all we knew that our abilities in the pulpit would be a decisive factor in getting a job, or a `call`, once training was over...

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